When Billy Wagner's teammates denounced him for publicly criticizing team's performance in the media
Billy Wagner was once a Philadelphia fan favorite who was on the fast track to becoming one of the greatest closers in organization history and cementing his place in the Phillies lore.
But Wagner was vilified by his Phillies teammates when he criticized the team's performance in the media.
After the Phillies were left in the dust by his signing with the New York Mets, he managed to get enough words out of his mouth to annoy an entire fan base.
In 2006, before the New York Mets’ 13-3 loss to the Atlanta Braves, Wagner said:
“My teammates thought I was a big rat. They thought I told (the press) everything, which I did. I told you everything right out in the middle of everybody,” as reported by The Post.
Wagner once claimed that the Phillies had "no chance" of making the playoffs because they were playing without enthusiasm.
Billy Wagner belongs in the Hall of Fame (via @matthewcerrone) on.sny.tv/oMlpc11 https://t.co/6e5jeuAhXd
"Billy Wagner belongs in the Hall of Fame (via @matthewcerrone)" https://on.sny.tv/oMlpc11 - SNY
Wagner claimed that a teammate referred to him as a "rat" during the ensuing players-only meeting to speak with the media.
“I’m sure a lot of guys on the team aren’t excited about seeing me,” Wagner said. “I never said anything about any player. When I talked about our team, I said, ‘We, us, our.’ I didn’t say a name. I didn’t point fingers.”
Wagner competed for 16 seasons in the MLB. Only six relievers in the major leagues have recorded at least 400 saves in their careers, and Wagner is one of them.
Billy Wagner’s case for the Hall of Fame
Without a conclusion, Billy Wagner's Cooperstown campaign is entering its final few election cycles. In his eighth year on the ballot, Wagner garnered 51.0% of the vote, according to the results that the Hall of Fame revealed on Tuesday.
That places him in a position similar to the one he was in the previous year, when he received 46.4 percent of the vote: on the outside looking in, though with a chance to make progress in the future.
Ballot #149 is from Tim Dahlberg. He adds Sheffield (now +22) and Pettitte (+11) to his holdovers Helton, Rolen and Wagner.
In the Tracker: tracker.fyi https://t.co/6SH060XcBD
"Ballot #149 is from Tim Dahlberg. He adds Sheffield (now +22) and Pettitte (+11) to his holdovers Helton, Rolen and Wagner. In the Tracker: http://tracker.fyi" - Ryan Thibodaux
He won the 1999 National League Rolaids Relief Man Award and was a seven-time All-Star. He had nine top 10 game finishes and ten top 10 saves finishes in the NL.